Enhancing Your Leadership Role Within Your Firm

Establishing and Gaining Credibilitypresented by

Mary C. Kimber and Linda P. WilliamsMarch 12, 2010

Enhancing Your Leadership RoleWithin Your Firm

Increasing your own brand

“It’s all marketing”

Increasing Your Own Brand

• Be your own PR firm– Approach it like you are running for political office:

goal is to become KNOWN– Announce you’ve arrived/been promoted– Build a “coalition” of friends, fans, teams• Make connections for others; do someone a “favor”

– Use a variety of tools: electronic, word of mouth, walking the halls

Increasing Your Own Brand

• Image first and fast, but then substance lasts– Know your stuff: your firm’s practice, your clients,

the competition– If you don’t know, find out– Work hard; deliver; do what you say you are going

to do

Learn Who’s Who

Use firm hierarchy to your advantage

Increasing Your Own Brand

• Find “champions”– Who knows you and your work?• Bounce off ideas; ask advice; seek guidance

– Who do others respect?• Ask for introductions• Offer to take someone you respect to lunch, coffee

• Know your adversaries– Do they matter or not?– How to win them over or at least neutralize

Enhancing Your Own Brand

• Expand and strengthen your position and reputation outside the marketing department– Connect with other administrative depts.– Find a mentor; offer to be a mentor – Serve on firm committees – ask for a seat at the

table– Volunteer for community initiatives – Take the

lead – become the “Salvation Army guru”, etc.

Enhancing Your Own Brand

• Have “a life” outside of work – be interesting– Elevator speech – tell your story– Do something you’ve never done before– Be engaged in the world - have a “civic” life– Bring a new face to a meeting, lunch, to the gym

• Who do you admire? – How did they get where they are?

Have a “life” outside of work!

Think and Act Like a Leader

Think and Act Like a Leader

• Take the lead - it’s often there for the taking• Produce – get things done that matter– Have objectives and plans for achieving them– Measure results– Be a problem solver, not a whiner

• Innovate and embrace change– new policies, office goals, strategies, technologies– encourage creative thinking

Think and Act Like a Leader

• Communicate with conviction and diplomacy• Demonstrate integrity and commitment to

your key obligations– your firm: culture, practice, lawyers– your staff– yourself

• Recognize diversity– Wear another “hat” to see other perspectives– Trust the strengths of others

Think and Act Like a Leader

• Leaders are not born leaders– Trial and error, self-assessment, discipline, an

education-in-progress• Take risks– Take on assignments that challenge you and are

outside your job description– Have the courage to be someone’s “adversary” or

to make it to management’s radar screen• Say “Thank You”

Fine Tuning Your Communication Skills

Fine Tuning Your Communication Skills

• Translate goals into action– Define your goals (this sounds easier than it is)– Set up metrics– Realign whenever you need to– Use outside sources– Be a good listener (listening is part of

communicating!)– Have a game plan for each initiative – how are you

going to get from A to Z?

• Case Study: Roll out of new branding; messaging internal firm-wide campaign– Focus groups & surveys lead the way– Variety of tools• Mail campaign; video; launch party

– Stakeholder presentations - make people feel a part of it!

– Commitment of leadership– Be open to modifications that come up

– Brainstorming – make time for formal and informal sessions - at PB we aim for quarterly off-site sessions

Fine Tuning Your Communication Skills

Think Creativelyfor higher quality results

How is this accomplished?

Think/Be creative

Think/Be creative

• Get out of your rut– Look outside of your office: city, state, global– Focus groups & surveys

• Look to the corporate world for ideas• Make time for brainstorming sessions• Be inclusive– Everyone has an idea – the best often come from

the least-likely sources

– Brainstorming – make time for formal and informal sessions - at PB we aim for quarterly off-site sessions

Think/Be creative

• Turn challenges into opportunities to try something new

• Read, read, read• Make time to think and get your brain

engaged• Use technology: YouTube; blogging;

knowledge management, other social media platforms

Managing, training, and mentoring

Managing, training, and mentoring

• Management “Best Practices”– Have a plan and vision– Provide direction– Educate– Build a team– Motivate others and get things done

• Cultivate trust and loyalty– Keep confidences – your word is golden– Be transparent in decision-making

Managing, training, and mentoring

• Formalize Your Staff Training Program– Customize your orientation – by position, office,

and experience– Implement the buddy system– Embrace the power of sharing information– Create written marketing department knowledge

guides and measurement tools– Have a yearly plan– Maximize the value of external programs

Managing, training, and mentoring

• Mentoring “Best Practices”– Know and recognize each person’s unique skills

and interests– Empower others• Delegate projects or a leadership roles• Allow someone else to run the meeting• Tell and show them they are valuable to the firm• Challenge everyone to stretch their skill set – expand

their talents

Managing, training, and mentoring

• Mentoring “Best Practices”– Educate and provide context for every project– Encourage and demonstrate “self management”– Develop team goals and strive to complete them

together– Have fun!

Have funand don’tforget...

to laugh.

Presented by

Mary C. KimberPatton Boggs LLP

mkimber@pattonboggs.comand

Linda P. WilliamsFinnegan, Henderson, Farabow,

Garrett & Dunner, LLPlinda.williams@finnegan.com